Shirt suspensory



Jan, M, 19360 0. STAM 2,2?,fi22

SHIRT SUSPENSORY Filed Feb. 20, 1935 Patented Jan. 14, 1936 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SHIRT SUSPENSORY Orville Stam, Los Angeles, Calif.Application February 20, 1935, Serial No. 7,415

Claims.

This invention relates to a combined garment and suspensory, and moreparticularly to a socalled shirt-suspensory in which a shirt andsuspensory may be integrally combined in a single garment and in whichdesirable abdominal supporting features may also be incorporated.

It is an object of this invention to provide a shirt-suspensory orcombined garment and supporter in which the garment may be of the usual10 conventional design and preferably fabricated of the usual expansibleknitted or woven material.

The invention provides a shirt-suspensory and supporter in which it isunnecessary to alter any of the ordinary methods of manufacturinggarments and the suspensory and supporting features may be incorporatedin an ordinary garment by the mere addition of suitable tape thereto,thereby providing a device which is cheap to manufacture and veryefficient in use. Also the wearer may use the shirt either as a combinedshirt and suspensory or as an ordinary shirt, as desired. The suspensoryand abdomen support may be adjusted as snugly or as loosely as desired,and all of the parts are self-compensating to provide the necessarycomfort to the normal bodily movements of the wearer and to preventchafing without interfering with the natural bodily functions.

It is a further object to provide a shirt-suspensory and supporter inwhich the normal form.

of an ordinary shirt is retained and which automatically assumes theform of a suspensory only when applied snugly to the wearer.

A further object is the provision of a shirtsuspensory in which isincorporated a substantially unstretchable design or outline inclosing astretchable or expansible area automatically forming a suspensory pocketwhen snugly applied to the body of the wearer. Further objects will beapparent from the specification and the appended claims.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of theinvention as applied to the wearer; Fig. 2 is a front view of theshirt-suspensory illustrated in Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the lower portion of the embodiment illustratedin Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the embodiment illustrated comprisesan ordinary shirt body I which may be of the usual construction andpreferably formed of expansibleor stretchable material, such as knittedor woven fabric.

Suitable tape may be applied to the shirt in any suitable manner as bysewing or stitching to form a substantially non-stretchable design oroutline enclosing stretchable or expansible areas of the shirt.So-called bias tape is preferable and all of the tape used may be of thesame width and may extend beyond the shirt body to form straps asillustrated.

The tapes are secured to the shirt body to form a substantiallytriangular or segmental outline and comprise two crossed tapes 2 and 3forming an angle with the vertex on the median line of o the shirt andadjacent the bottom. These tapes extend upwardly to substantiallyconform to the normal line of the groin of the wearer and terminateadjacent the top of the hips, and extend downwardly to form elongatedstraps 4 and 5 respectively.

A transverse tape 6 is secured to the shirt body to form, with the tapes2 and 3, a substantially non-stretchable outline enclosing a stretchableand expansible triangular area which, when applied snugly to the wearer,expands to form a snugly fitting, elastic-like suspensory pocket.

The tape 6 forming the base of the triangle is preferably somewhatlonger than the normal distance between the sides 2 and 3, that is, theshirt may be stretched laterally when this tape is secured thereto sothat when applied to the body it will fit the normal outward curvatureof the lower abdomen as illustrated in the drawing.

A second transverse tape l is secured at the upper ends of the tapes 2and 3 and is preferably curved upwardly as shown in Figure 1 to fit theupper abdomen when applied to the wearer. A vertical slot-opening 8 isprovided between the tapes 6 and 1 and this slot-opening is preferably35 edged with substantially non-stretchable tape connecting the tapes 6and l whereby all of the tapes cooperate to provide a substantiallynonstretchable pattern or outline enclosing stretchable or expansibleareas of the shirt body where- 40 by an efficient combined suspensoryand abdomen supporter is provided by snugly applying the pattern to thebody.

Small rings or eyelets e and 9 are secured adjacent each end of thetransverse tape 1 to pro- 45 vide supports for the straps i and 5. Therings may be of celluloid or other suitable material and slidablysupport the straps which are inserted therein. The rings may be securedto the tape pattern in any suitable manner, preferably by 50 formingloops ill in the ends of the tape 1 when the tape is applied to theshirt body.

After the shirt has been put on in the usual manner, the straps 4 and 5are passed rearwardly between the legs and then through the rings 9 and9 and then drawn as snugly as desired and tied at the back, therebyproviding an eificient and comfortable suspensory and abdomen support.

The construction is such that, when applied, the tapes 2 and 3 whichsnugly fit the right and left hand groins, respectively, are snuglyretained in position by their respective straps 4 and 5 which crossbetween the legs and are slidably supported in the rings 9 and 9 atopposite sides of the body respectively relative to the groin tapes 2and 3. This crossing of tapes and slidable support of the strapsprovides a self-compensating arrangement which prevents any undesirablepressure at any point and enables entire freedom of movement of the bodyat all times without chafing or other discomfort. This is of particularimportance to athletes, golfers, policemen and. others where strenuousbodily movements must be unrestricted, and an efiicient suspensory andsupport is desirable.

The details of construction may be varied by one skilled in the art,Without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is desired,therefore, that the invention be limited only by the prior art and thescope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchable material andhaving substantially non-stretchable tape applied thereto to form asubstantially triangular design having its apex adjacent the bottom ofthe skirt and its sides substantially conforming to the lines of thegroin of the wearer and its base extending across the abdomen, atransverse tape across said triangle intermediate the base and apexwhereby the base of said triangle forms an abdomen support and theremainining portion forms a suspensory, straps extending from the apex,and means adjacent the base corners to support said straps intermediatetheir ends.

2. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchable material andhaving substantially non-stretchable tape applied thereto to form asubstantially triangular design having its apex adjacent the bottom ofthe skirt and its sides substantially conforming to the lines of thegroin of the wearer and its base extending across the abdomen, atransverse tape across said triangle intermediate the base and apex andlonger than the distance between the sides whereby the base of saidtriangle and said intermediate tape form an abdomen support and theremaining portion forms a suspensory, straps extending from the apex,and means adjacent the base corners to support said straps intermediatetheir ends.

3. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchable material andhaving substantially non-stretchable'tape applied thereto to form asubstantially triangular design having its apex adjacent the bottom ofthe skirt and its sides substantially conforming to the lines of thegroin of the wearer and its base extending across the abdomen, atransverse tape across said triangle intermediate the base and apexwhereby the base of said triangle forms an abdomen support and theremaining portion forms a suspensory, straps extending from the apex,and rings secured to the tape at the ends of the base line to supportsaid straps intermediate their ends. 7

4. A unitary suspensory garment comprising a skirt portion ofstretchable material having substantially non-stretchable outlineforming a part thereof and providing a substantially triai1- gulardesign having its apex adjacent the bottom of the skirt and its sidessubstantially conforming to the lines of the groin of the wearer and itsbase extending across the abdomen, straps extending from the apex ofsaid triangle, and means adjacent each end of said base andsubstantially at the groin depression of the wearer to support saidstraps intermediate their ends after they have been passed between thelegs of the wearer and tied at the back, said means being arranged toenable automatic compensation of the straps to conform to the movementsof the wearer.

5. A shirt-suspensory comprising an expansible shirt body, two crossedtapes secured to said shirt and intersecting adjacent the bottom of saidshirt and extending therefrom to form elongated straps, a transversetape connecting said two tapes intermediate their upper ends and thepoint of intersection, a second transverse tape connecting said twotapes above said first transverse tape and spaced therefrom, and meansadjacent each end of said second transverse tape to slidably supportsaid straps intermediate their ends.

6. A shirt-suspensory comprising an expansible shirt body, two crossedtapes secured to said shirt and intersecting adjacent the bottom of saidshirt and extending therefrom to form elongated straps, a transversetape connecting said two tapes intermediate their upper ends and thepoint of intersection, a second transverse tape connecting said twotapes above said first transverse tape and spaced therefrom, a tapeconnecting said transverse tapes substantially on the median line ofsaid shirt, said shirt having an opening therethrough between saidtransverse tapes, and means adjacent each end of said second transversetape to slidably support said straps intermediate their ends.

'7. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchable material andhaving a substantially non-stretchable outline forming an integral partthereof and providing a substantially triangular design having its apexadjacent the bottom of the skirt and its sides substantially conformingto the lines of the groin of the wearer and its base extending acrossthe abdomen, said outline having a transverse non-stretchable portionextending across said triangle intermediate the base and apex wherebythe base portion of said triangle forms an abdomen support and theremaining portion forms a suspensory, supporting means adjacent the basecorners, and retaining means extending from the apex and adapted to besupported by said supporting means and adapted to extend across the backof the garment. 8. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchablematerial having substantially nonstretchable tape secured theretoforming a substantially triangular design having its apex adjacent thebottom of the skirt and its sides substantially conforming to the linesof the groin of the wearer and its base extending across the abdomen, atransverse tape across said triangle intermediate the base and apexwhereby the base forms an abdomen support and the skirt portion belowthe transverse tape forms a suspensory, securing means attached to theapex and slidably supported at the ends of the base adapted to passbetween the legs of the wearer and adapted to extend around the back ofthe garment whereby the entire device is automatically adjustable to themovement of the wearer.

9. A shirt-suspensory comprising an expansible shirt body, two crossedtapes secured to the front of said shirt and intersecting adjacent thebottom of said shirt and extending therefrom to form elongated straps, atransverse tape connecting said two tapes intermediate their upper endsand the point of intersection, and supporting means connected adjacentthe upper ends of said two crossed tapes and adapted to support saidstraps with their ends secured together at the back of the garment.

10. A garment comprising a skirt portion of stretchable material andhaving a substantially non-stretchable outline forming an integral partthereof and providing a substantially triangular design having its apexadjacent the bottom of the skirt and its sides substantially conformingto the lines of the groin of the wearer and its base extending acrossthe abdomen, said outline having a transverse non-stretchable portionextending across said triangle intermediate the base and apex and havingan intermediate connection with said base whereby the base portion ofsaid triangle forms an abdomen support and the remaining portion forms asuspensory, supporting means adjacent the base corners, and retainingmeans extending from the apex and adapted to be supported by saidsupporting means and adapted to extend across the back of the garment.

ORVIILE STAM.

